Posts — 4th trimester

By: Erin Junker, Pediatric Sleep Consultant   It’s the end of the day, Mom is exhausted, and baby seems fussy too. Why bother with a bedtime routine? Wouldn’t it be easier to just feed your little one and put her straight to bed? Why all the steps and the elaborate routine?  Here’s why: A bedtime routine, carried out with similar steps in a similar way each night, signals to your baby that we are transitioning from daytime (i.e. napping), to nighttime (i.e. the big, long sleep). It helps your baby understand that sleep-time is approaching, and gets her body ready to wind down and prepare for sleep.   Here are some suggested steps to a great bedtime routine, one that...

Written by: Sara Reardon PT, The Vagina Whisperer Sara is a Board-Certified Pelvic Health Physical Therapist, hosting In-person & Online Pelvic PT & Online Courses & Fitness Programs. Find her on social @the.vagina.whisper "Seriously? Like you just lose your sh*t on your kids for a small infraction and then feel terrible and guilty but also frustrated and justified??⁠⠀⁠⠀My kids started back to school just over a week ago. And while I am incredibly grateful we’ve been able to return to in-person learning, they have been REALLY difficult at the end of the day. Cranky, hungry, whiny, disobedient. I feel like I get the scraps of them. Like all of their sweetness is used up during the day and then they get home and it’s...

The answer is...⁠⁠YES! The good news is that your Ollie is purposefully designed to grow with your little one. So, if you are seeing signs that YOUR little one is beginning to reach the monumental stage of rolling from back to stomach, you can begin to use your Ollie with one or both arms out. And, the best part? Because the Ollie has freedom of movement in both the hips and the shoulder joints, your little one will not have any constraint put on any of their amazing joints in either version of swaddling. You can continue to use your Ollie swaddle as a traditional sleep sack throughout their first year!   We know that this transition time can feel hard or even...

The first three months of life are often referred to as the fourth trimester when your little one is still adjusting to life outside of the womb. During this adjustment, baby is depending on your to lead in building healthy habits – including healthy sleep habits.  At first you may be overwhelmed with your little one’s irregular sleep patterns. While it will be a gradual shift to sleeping more consistently at night, it will happen. So, how can you help support your little one through this transition during the first few months of life?  Educate yourself on newborn and infant sleep patterns. You can expect your baby to sleep between 16-18 hours per day for the first month and 11-15...